Special anniversaries call for special commemoration: throwing a party, taking a trip, giving a special gift, or simply taking time to reflect on what an occasion means.
In our case, it is now 25 years that we have been members of Canadian Martyrs parish.
It is not the closest Catholic church to us. The days are long gone when we attended mass out of habit.
What is it about this parish that keeps us engaged?
We came to Canadian Martyrs originally because of our children. Getting them to our regular parish on Sundays had become a struggle.
They found the service boring, the pastor aloof, and the community distant. We had been parish-hunting for a while when our daughter came home one weekend to say she had gone with her friend’s family to “a church that was nice.”
“Could we go there next Sunday?” she asked. We did not hesitate.
After our first mass at Canadian Martyrs, the pastoral assistant came up, welcomed us and asked whether we would like to get involved in any parish ministries. The priest greeted our girls and gave them a hug.
They were sold, as were we.
We have known some great pastors since then. The sainted Laurie Conlon and our current pastor, Robert Smith, come to mind.
Our daughters have acted in the Christmas and Easter pageants and served as lectors. My wife and I have served in other ministries and on pastoral council. We have formed friendships that have enriched our family life.
Canadian Martyrs became a source of many experiences for our family:
• a place where we could recharge our spiritual batteries and seek spiritual advice and support when we needed it;
• a partnership between pastor and parishioners and a pastoral team that made all of us feel welcome;
• a community of faith that manifested joy and life in its worship and its parish activities, as well as openness and inclusiveness;
• lots of happy, noisy children, clearly treasured by the community and by the pastor, with ways for them to participate such as gathering around the altar for the Lord’s Prayer, the after-mass percussion sessions, the various pageants and fairs and family masses.
